It is desired to provide inexpensive re-useable dispensing packs which offer the user the opportunity to partially dispense the contents of a container and store the remainder for later use. The user can dispense as much of the contents as required and then re-close (or reseal) the pack to store the contents for a future use. Re-sealing the pack is important particularly for materials which are sensitive to their environment for example products which are air, moisture, light sensitive etc.
Many re-closeable packs are known. In general these may be complex to manufacture and require removable caps etc. which allow the container to be re-sealed after a use. On the other hand it is known to provide single use or “one shot” disposable pack which once opened cannot be subsequently closed. This form of pack is usually a tear- or break-open pack. The advantage of a one shot pack is its relatively inexpensive manufacture as compared to re-closeable or re-sealable packs. The disadvantage of such containers is of course that the contents are intended to be used all at once. If not all the product is used at one time, there is a difficulty in storing the pack as it is not closed and the contents may spill. The life of the remaining product may also be compromised particularly as stated above where the product is sensitive to environmental factors.
It is also possible to provide low cost tubes, for instance a tube constructed of aluminium or other such metal or plastics materials. Such tubes are often provided with screw-on, snap-on, or otherwise engageable nozzles. The nozzle is usually provided to help accurate dispensing of the contents of the tube. These nozzles are often provided with separate screw-on caps to close the dispensing nozzle to protect the product. The nozzle and the cap are separately provided and the cap is screwed onto the nozzle. In order to use the dispensing nozzle it is firstly screwed onto the tube. A dispenser with dispensing means for dispensing the contents of the tubes is known for example from WO 00/00405. The device is provided with a nozzle which screws onto the tube and a cap which screws onto the nozzle. The device of WO 00/00405 may be used with a nozzle assembly or container of the present invention. Alternatively a container with an integrally formed nozzle may be provided. Containers with integrally formed dispensing nozzles are also often deformable (squeezable).
There exists a requirement for a low cost multi-use pack.
A further problem in providing a reusable container or nozzle assembly with a break-off cap is difficulty in re-closing the container/nozzle to provide a reliable seal to protect the contents of the container. It is difficult to provide low cost containers/nozzles which close after use to provide a reliable seal. Creating a reliable seal necessitates accurate mating of the surfaces forming the seal. This in turn requires careful manufacture with precise engineering of the product which may be reflected in increased cost in production. Generally components which mate to provide a seal are manufactured separately and with great precision so that the subsequent making of the components provides the desired seal.
Difficulty of re-closure is especially acute with break-off caps. Break-off caps are frangibly connected to the container which they close. Breaking the frangible connection between the break-off part (usually the cap) and the container may leave remnants of the frangible connection on the break-off part or on the container. These remnants may interfere with subsequent re-fitting of the break-off part to the container thus making proper re-closure of the container difficult, with possible ensuing detriment to the useable life of the product within the container. As stated above there are certain types of products which particularly need protection from the general environment. Of particular concern in the present case are curable products, in particular adhesives.
EP 0 326 529 describes a strip of phials. The document is concerned with the problem of handling of relatively small phials, and proposes a strip or web of phials which are more easily handled mechanically. Each phial is a small squeezable container with an integrally moulded nozzle and cap on the container. The cap is a break-off cap and the containers are intended to be single use “one shot” containers.
Loctite (Ireland) Limited sells a product called Indermil™ which is a surgical adhesive. The product is presented for sale in individual phials similar in construction to the phials disclosed in EP 0 326 529 discussed above. The phial has a hollow container body for receiving and holding product placed in the container. The hollow container body has an outlet nozzle, through which the product is dispensable. The outlet nozzle has a first intake end which projects from the container body and is integrally formed therewith. The nozzle has a second dispensing end with a dispensing opening formed in the dispensing end and a mouth formed on the nozzle about the dispensing opening. The nozzle of the device has a nozzle body with a conduit defined therein and bounded by an internal surface of the nozzle body, the conduit in communication with the container body and the dispensing opening. The phial has a break-off cap comprising a cap body for closing the dispensing end of the outlet nozzle, the break-off cap having a first position wherein the cap body is integrally formed with the outlet nozzle to close the outlet opening of the outlet nozzle and is connected thereto by at least one frangible connection, and a second position wherein the frangible connection is broken allowing removal of the cap and thus opening the outlet opening thereby allowing product to be dispensed from the container. The cap once removed may be inverted and repositioned on the container by push-fit (frictional) engagement of the cap and the nozzle. It is desired to provide an alternative nozzle assembly for use with a container which can be used to store materials. In order to improve the useful life of products stored in containers it may be desirable to provide an outer (protective) packaging which may help improve storage stability, particularly one that is convenient for point of sale display.